Circuit-breaker.



PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

S. WATERBURY. CIRCUIT BREAKER. APPLICATION FILED $22123 1904.

3 EETS-SHEBT 1.

lNVENTOl? JawzueZ flfderary Ari/m PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

S. WATERBURY. CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.23,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/TNESSES:

PATENTBD JULY 3, 1906. Q

S. WATBRBURY. CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ATTORNEYS 'vention in front fzl -ec iiication of letters 1:

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Eatsnted 1113 $3,

Application filed September 23, 190%. Serial 1 11). 2255635.

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, SAMUELWATERBURY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Circuit-Breaker, of which the following'is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to circuit-breakers,

and more articularly to those which maybe operated 0th manually and automatically, its principal objects being to secure independence between the two operating mech-' anisms, so that the closure of the circuit by hand will not interfere with its again auto matically opening, and to otherwise improve the apparatus.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming tion, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the fig ures.

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of my inelevation, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views with the elements occupying different positions. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectionon the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the core operating within the coil. Fi 7 is-an enlarged detail, in side elevation, 0 another form of the upper contact members. Fig. 8

1s a horizontal section therethrough on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7 and Fig. 9 is a sectional dctail on the line 9 9 of Fig. 7.

10 designates .a-base of suitable size and form and of some'insulating material upon which are mounted lower flanges 12; Through these tend oppositelyrojecting pivotouter ends of w ich are threade retaining-nuts 13 13 are contact-arms desired number, there being two shown in the present instance, the. apparatus serving e arms are conas a two-pole breaker. Th nected by an insulating-block 15, they being secured at each side'thereof by flanges '16, through which extend screws '16. The outer side of each of inclined at 17 and operates against a similarly-inclined metallic spring contact mem ber 18, preferably carried by the bracket 11. The upper extremity of each arm coacts with a second contact member 19. This, as illustrated, is laminated, it being formed of sheets .ber havin bent *ortions 1 5 against the opposite sides a part of this specifica brackets 11 11, having.

flanges exins 13, the to receive Movable about the pins f 1 1, which may be of any the arms is preferably.

of spring metai secured upon opposite sides of an arm 29, the ends of the contact mom 20, which press of the arms. in Figs. 2 to 1 these members 19 are so situated that contact is made or broken over the sheets simultaneously, while in Figs. 1 and 8 this making and breaking occurs succes= sively.

At the outer side of each of the contact= arms is situated a spring 21, which may be coiled about the pin 13 for a few convolutions and then extend outwardly with angular ends 22 entering openings in the contact member 18 and in too arm, respectively. These springs, which are retained against longitudinal displacement by the nuts upon the ends of the pine-exert their tension to move the contact-arms outwardly from coaction with the relatively fixed members 18 and 19. The ran eoi movement thus imparted is preferaby such that the arms will be arrested by the springs at the desired angle of-separation, and thus obviate the necessity of introducing stops or bufiei's. Secured to the rear of thebase and connected with the contact members 18 and 19 are bindingscrews or terminals 23 and 24, to which 'conductors may be connected.

Extending between the sides of a slot 24 in the block 15 is a pivot-pin 25, upon which is fulcrumeda lever having an outwardly? projecting arm 26, carrying a handle 27 The inner arm 28 of the lever is preferably situated substantially at right angles to the handle :portion and has pivoted upon its u per enda latch 29, the hooked en 30 oi w 'ch may engage a plate 31, fixed-upxon the outer side of the blocli 15. This latc is provided with an opening, which is here shown in the.

form of an elongated loop 32 projecting from one side thereof, and through this openmgor loop normally extends one arm 330f a tr p.- ping-lever 34, which lies along the base and is mounted to turn in a bracket 35 and a second bracket 36. At the opposite end from the arm 35 this tripping-lever has 37* of a nut 38, rotatable upon the upper threaded end of a non-Ina rod extends within a 001' 40, havin a suitable number of convolutions anu being mounted in brackets 41 and 41, the latter being connected with'one of the brackets 11 and furnisliiiig one terminal. Associated serves to deliver the with this a terminal 41 an arm 37 which is bent at 37 to lie between flanges 37* etic rod 39. This IIO energizing-current to the coil. Fitted within the upper end of this coil is apole-piece 42,

through an opening in which the rod 39 passes, and below this pole-piece, attached to the lower end of the rod, is a core 43. As particularly shown in Fig. 6, this core is preferably made" of sheet-iron or like magnetic material rolled upon itself. about the rod 39 to forma cylinder, this decreasing the heat ing eiiectif the apparatus is used in connection with alternating currents and increasing the magnetic efliciency. The arm 28 has a 7 reduced end 44, with which maycoact the hooked head 45 of a latch 46, pivoted upon the hracke't35. The bracket All .may be of iron and .by its association with the core increase the magnetic eflect.

To take the are produced in creaking the circuit, and thus protect the primary contacts, secondary contacts are provided, which include a spring 47 fixed at one end at 48 upon each of the arms 20 and being bent outwardly to describe a substantiallyclosed {side of'the curve, the free end of which is adjacent to the fixed end and carries a block 49, preferably of carbon. This block is shown as secured upon the springby a metallic member 50, extending through atransverse opening and having a head or enlargement 51, with its outer surface practically flush with that of the block,

the opposite endbeing affixed to the spring i by a screw 52. With this block cooperates a block 53, similarly secured upon a spring 54;, attached at its lower end to the outer base oi each contact-arm. The clock 4:9;is preferably provided with an extension 55, overlappin and contacting with the upper lock 53. 7 Normally the elements of my improved apparatus occupy the positions more clearly indicated inFig. 2, the contact-arms being in coaction with both of their primary contact members and the secondary members also being in contact, the parts being retained in I this position by the latch 29 engaging the connecting-block, and the latch 46 cooperating with the lever. The latch 29 is main- I tained in engagement by the weight of the core 43, which exerts itself through the trip--' ping-lever. This prevents accidental disengagement under shocks to which the apparatus may be subjected in'use, dispenses with springs to efiect the same result, and renders the mechanism more sensitive.

When an excessive current passes through the'coil or one for which thecoil is wound to respond, the core is drawn into the coil toward the pole-piece and presses the lower flange of the nut against the outer arm of the tripping-lever. The other arm of this lever rises and strikes the upper side of the opening in the latch 29, raising this and releasing the contact-arms, which are forced outward by their springs. After the primary contact has been broken the secondary contact members still remain in cooperation, the metallic me'mbers 50 pressing against one another during a portion of the movement, asis shown in Fig. 3, the this.-

passed to carbon, which takes the breaking are without unduly destructive efiect. As the contactarms move outward the pivot-pin 25 travels upon the arc of the circle, having the pivot pin 13 as its center. This movement lowers the position of the arm 28 with respect to the Then as these separate the contact is curvature of the spring 47 permitting.

the overhanging portion 55 of the latch 46 and releases the reduced end 44 I from the hooked headefi'of the latch. Thus the release of the latch 29 permits therelease of the latch 46.

When it is desired to close the circuit, it is only necessary to raise the handle, the latch 29 carrying the arms with it and bringing the contact members into coaction, the parts being finally locked in their normal positions by the coaction of the latch is with the lever.

It will be obvious that if while the circuit were being closed a current should flow which would cause the tripping-lever. to operate the latch mechanism would respond as soon as the end of the arm 33 entered the opening of the loop 32, leaving the handle in the grasp of the operator. As this entrance of the tripping-lever arm into the latch-loop occurs prior to the making of the contact, it will be evident that there can be no closure of the circuit maintained when it should be opened by the automatic mechanism. This is of particular importance, inasmuch that if there were a heavy ground serious damage might result while the operator was turning the parts to their normalpositi'on and before he could release the lever.

Having thus described myinvention, l

ICC

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters I Patent- I 1. A circuit-breaker comprising a contactarm, a handle-lever fulcrumed upon the contact-arm and extending from itstulcrum along-said arm, a latch pivoted to a relatively fixed member engaging the handle-lever, a latch pivoted to the handle-lever extension and cooperating with the contact-arm, means for releasing the first latch, and means-where- IIC pivoted to a relatively fixed member andengaging the handle-lever adjacent to the firstnamed latch.

4. The combination with a contact-arm, of

a latch therefor, a tripping-lever engaging the latch, a coil, and a core associated with the coil and supported by the tripping-lever.

5. p The combination with a contact-arm, of a latch therefor, a tripping-lever engaging the latch, a coil, a core associated with the coil and supported by the tripping-lever, and a second latch cooperating with the contactarm.

6. The combination with a contactarm, of a handle-lever fulcrumed upon the contactarm and extending from its fulrcum along said arm, a latch 'piyoted to the handle-lever extension and cooperating with the contactarm, a latch for engaging the handle-lever, a tripping-lever adjacent to the first latch for releasing the first latch, means for operating the tripping-lever, and means whereby the release of the first latch may release the second latch.

7. The combination with a contact-arm, of a handle-lever, a latch provided with an opening and pivoted upon the handle-lever and coacting with the contact-arm, a trippinglever extending through the latch-opening,

and electromagnetic mechanism operating a coil associated with the core.

9/ The combination'with a base, of a me-.

tallic arm pivoted thereon, a primary metallic contact-arm carried by the base, a pair of contact-arm, a trippinglever extending through the latch-opening, a core supported upon the tripping-lever, and

ination with a contact-arm, of

secondary carbon contacts mounted upon the base and arm, one of the said carbon con tacts having a recess in which to receive the other, and metallic contact members extending through the carbon contacts.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\ SAMUEL WATERBURY. Witnesses: v JAMES W. VEEDEE,

THOMAS R. PILLOTT, Jr. 

